


Visiting Dad

by FlOrangey



Series: Makoto Niijima Week [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen, Makoto Niijima Week, Posthumous Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 21:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12117918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlOrangey/pseuds/FlOrangey
Summary: Makoto and Sae visit their father.Written for Day two of Makoto Niijima Week. Prompt: Family





	Visiting Dad

**Author's Note:**

> It's short, but I think it's sweet.

Makoto took a deep breath in, held it for ten seconds, and then let it out. She took another deep breath, held it for ten seconds, and then let it out. She had hoped her nerves would have steadied during the ride on the train, instead they just seemed to become worse. Who knew that visiting a grave could be so difficult even after three years.

The train stopped and Makoto shot up to her feet and left the station. She walked the streets and stopped at the sight she had been looking forward to visiting and dreading at the same time. She pushed the gate open and walked the path, looking at the small granite stones surrounding her. Her chest felt tight, she stopped for a second, and took another breath, then continued on.

She finally found what she was looking for, a small grave that blended in with the rest but to her stood out like a sore thumb. The detective's badge resting next to it had rusted and the flowers had long wilted. Makoto looked at the flowers in her hands and took a few steps forward. She knelt down next to the grave.

“Hi dad.” She said. “Sorry I haven't been able to visit lately, things were very...chaotic.”

“Well, that’s one word to describe it.”

Makoto jumped and turned around to see a face that made her smile. “Sis?” She said, “What are you doing here? I thought you had work.”

“Well, I thought this was more important.” She said getting on her knees and sitting next to her sister. “It’s been a long time since we did something together, and a visit to dad is long overdue. For both of us.”

Makoto felt like she was going to cry. Barely a year ago her sister would have been opposed to visiting their father’s grave, however now, seeing her so willing and eager to join her made her feel so happy. “You were going to tell him about your adventures with your friends.”

“Well, not everything. I think he’d find the idea of us going up against a manifestation of a god to farfetched a story.”

“You never know. Maybe he was there rooting for you.” Sae said a smile on her face.

“Maybe,” Makoto said, giving a small nod turning back to the gravestone. “To be honest, I don’t know where to start.”

“Well, why don’t you start from the beginning.”

Makoto thought about the suggestion, long and hard, and then nodded. “Alright, but in exchange, you lay the flowers.” She held the bouquet out for her sister to take and while she saw Sae hesitate for a brief second, her older sister did take them. She watched in silence as her sister closed her eyes, moved the wilted ones away from the grave and then placed the new ones at its feet. She then wrapped an arm around Makoto’s shoulder and held her close.

“Alright, dad. I guess like sis says I should start from the beginning. So let me tell you about my work with the Phantom Thieves, and how because of them I met my first real friends and my boyfriend. He’s a little younger than me. Sorry, I know you hoped I would go for someone a little older, but I promise he’s everything you hoped I would have.”

So Makoto began to tell her story about the Phantom Thieves and how she became a part of them. All the missions they had gone on, all the fun outings they took together. She talked about each of the thieves, starting with Ann and Ryuji, then moving on to the others, telling them about the art competition Yusuke had entered, to their efforts in the summer to help Futaba break out of her shell and join them at the beach.

She saved Akira for last, she had a lot to say about him, about how he helped her broaden her horizons by taking her to the arcade and other places in Tokyo that she would never have thought to go had she not joined the Phantom Thieves. She told him about what happened with her friend Eiko, about the host who had tried trick her into going into debt and selling herself off. About how Akira had been there to defend her before the host could lay a hand on her, even though she was already prepared to beat the crap out of him.

“And I would have too. He got lucky.” She said, “Going through everything with Akira, with Eiko and the rest of the Phantom Thieves, made me realize a lot of things about myself and the world I could never have learned just by reading about it in a textbook. Sure at times, it was dangerous, but I’m glad I was able to go through those experiences. It helped me a lot, and in many ways, it helped me help my sister.”

“...How about we save that story for another time.” Sae suggested and Makoto laughed a little as she leaned against her sister.

“Alright fine.” She said then turned back to her father's grave. “Anyway, after all this, I’ve decided to become a police commissioner. I know, I have a long journey ahead of me and will need an extensive academic and work background, but I promise I will make you proud.”

Makoto lifted her hand up and to her sleeve and wiped the tears from her eyes. “You okay?” Sae asked.

“Yeah.” She said. Sae wrapped her arms around her, pulling her younger sister into a hug. “Did you have something you wanted to add?”

Sae shook her head. “No, not right now.” She said, giving her sister a smile as the two silently sat with their father for a while longer.


End file.
